Qualifiers for Iron Viz 2021 closed on July 2. And what a round it was. I already picked my Top 5 winners, so mic drop on that piece, but wow, the entries that have come in since my first post have awed me like so much shocked Pikachu face.
If you’re new to Iron Viz, it is THE premiere data visualization competition. $10,000 USD are up for grabs here, folks. And if that doesn’t make you happy, this year’s Iron Viz topic should:
Data + Joy: Viz What You Love
I have been grinning like a mad woman over these entries. Over 300 have been submitted! The finalists will be announced August 12th. Before we settle in for the big announcement, I wanted to highlight the ones that came through since my last post that have also brought me joy. In no particular order:
Rivers of Time | Marvel Studios MCU by Sam Parsons
This viz is a thing of beauty. Time is already a challenging subject in real life. In the Marvel Universe, it’s a whole other ball of wax – have you seen Loki? Total time bender!
This viz makes sense of a convoluted concept – time in the MCU – and does so in a beautiful way. Also, I love Sam’s explanation buttons at the bottom of his viz. It gives insight into the thought processes that went into his design. I learned so much from this one viz.
Picture Books, by Julie Neble
I love this one because of how practical it is! I thought I knew all there was to know about Julia Donaldson’s books, author of the Gruffalo series and other great children’s reads. But this one blew a hole right through my knowledge gap and said, “Here, you missed a spot.”
My favourite part is the viz’s “Chapter 7”. It’s a book picker tool, where you can select attributes like the kinds of emotions you want in the story, or the topic points, such as family or friendship, and the tool will recommend a book! Very helpful for when you’re trying to set just the right vibes for bedtime.
Lego Technic by Mateusz Karmalski
We are big fans of LEGO in my house – well, except for when my feet find them while walking around in the middle of the night. I’ve always wanted to get into Technic, on the assumption that the more intricate blocks would inspire me to make something other than square houses all the time. One day I will indulge myself and get a set, but in the meantime, I have this amazing viz to simulate Technic ownership.
My favourite part is Chart 8: Colours of Technic. It’s fascinating to see how LEGO changed their colour usage over time.
Watch The Top 10 Announcement Show!
So that’s it for me, but there’s tons more Iron Viz to see. The Top 10 qualifiers announcement happens August 12th – sign up here if you want to watch it live! I definitely will be! Also during the show, the Top 3 finalists will be announced, and those lucky few will get to compete in the championships during Tableau Conference 2021, which was just announced to take place November 9 – 11.
Since we have a little time before the announcement, why not catch up with who’s entered? Check out the Tableau Iron Viz 2021 gallery to see all the entrants in one place.
OK folks, who are you rooting for? Reply here, or tweet at me (@PearleLundeen)!
Pearle Lundeen 